Elected him our abfence to fupply; Lent him our terror, dreft him with our love; To undergo fuch ample grace and honour, Enter Angelo. Duke. Look where he comes. Ang. Always obedient to your grace's will, I come to know your pleasure. Duke. Angelo, There is a kind of character in thy life, By the words with special foul elected him, I believe, the poet meant that he was the immediate choice of his heart. A fimilar expreffion occurs in Troilus and Creffida: "with private foul "Did in great Ilion thus tranflate him to me." Again, more appofitely in the Tempest: for feveral virtues "Have I lik'd feveral women, never any "With fo full foul, but fome defect, &c. STEEVENS. We have with Special foul. This feems to be only a tranflation of the ufual formal words inferted in all royal grants-" De gratia noftra Speciali et ex "mero motu-" MALONE. 9 There is a kind of character in thy life, That to the obferver, &c.] Either this introduction has more folemnity than meaning, or it has a meaning which I cannot difcover. What is there peculiar in this, that a man's life informs the obferver of his biftory? Might it be supposed that Shakspeare wrote this? There is a kind of character in thy look. Hiftory may be taken in a more diffufe and licentious meaning, for future occurrences, or the part of life yet to come. If this fenfe be received, the paffage is clear and proper. JOHNSON. Shakspeare mult, I believe, be anfwerable for the unneceffary pomp of this introduction. He has the fame thought in Henry IV. p. 2. which is fame comment on this paffage before us; "There is a history in all mens' lives, "Figuring the nature of the times deceas'd : B 4 That That, to the observer, doth thy history As if we had them not. Spirits are not finely touch'd, But to fine iffues; nor nature never lends Both thanks and ufe. But I do bend my fpeech I Hold -are not thine own fo proper] i, e. are not fo much thy own property. STEEVENS. them on thee.] The old copy reads--they on thee. -for if our virtues, &c.] "Paulum fepulte diftat inertiæ "Celata virtus". So in Maffinger's Maid of Honour. Hor. "Virtue, if not in action, is a vice, STEEVENS. WARBURTON. "And, when we move not forward, we go backward." So in the Latin adage-Non progredi eft regredi. STEEVENS. + to fine illues:] To great confequences. For high purposes. JOHNSON, 5-nor nature never lends.] Two negatives, not employed to make an affirmative, are common in our author. So in Julius Cafar: "There is no harm intended to your person, "Nor to no Roman elfe." STEEVENS. 6 -I do bend my speech, To one that can my part in him advertise;] This is obfcure, The meaning is, I direct my fpeech to one who is able to teach me how to govern: my part in him, fignifying office, which I have delegated to him. My part in him advertise ; i. e. who knows what appertains to the character of deputy or viceroy. Can advertife my part in him; that is, his representation of my perfon. But all thefe quaintneffes of expreffion, the Oxford editor feems fworn to extirpate; that is, to take away one of Shakspeare's Hold therefore Angelo 7: In our remove, be thou at full ourself: Live in thy tongue and heart: Old Efcalus, Ang. Now, good my lord, Let there be fome more teft made of my metal, Be stamp'd upon it. Duke. No more evafion : We have with a leaven'd and prepared choice? Proceeded Shakspeare's characteristic marks; which, if not one of the comelieft, is yet one of the strongest. So he alters this to, To one that can, in my part, me advertise. A better expreffion indeed, but, for all that, none of Shakspeare's. I know not whether we may not better read, One that can inform himself of that which it would be otherwise my part to tell him. JOHNSON. To advertife is ufed in this fenfe, and with this accentuation, by Chapman, in his tranflation of the 11th book of the Odyfey. "Or, of my father, if thy royal ear "Hath been advertis'd STEEVENS. 7 Hold therefore Angelo:] That is, continue to be Angelo; bold as thou art. JOHNSON. I believe that-Hold therefore Angelo, are the words which the duke utters on tendering his commiffion to him. He concludes with-Take thy commiffion. STEEVENS. If a full point be put after therefore, the duke may be underftood to fpeak of himself. Hold therefore, i. e. Let me therefore hold, or ftop. And the fenfe of the whole paffage may be this. The duke, who has begun an exhortation to Angelo, checks himfelf thus, "But I am fpeaking to one, that can in him [in, or by himfelf] apprehend my part [all that I have to fay]: I will therefore fay no more [on that fubjeé:]." He then merely fignifies to Angelo his appointment. TYRWHITT. 8-firft in queftion,] That is, firft called for; first appointed. JOHNSON. We have with a leaven'd and prepared choice] Leaven'd has no fenfe in this place: we should read, levell'd choice. The allufion is to archery, when a man is fixed upon his object, after taking good aim, WARBURTON, No Proceeded to you; therefore take your honours. Our hafte from hence is of fo quick condition, That it prefers itfelf, and leaves unqueftion'd Matters of needful value. We fhall write to you, As time and our concerns fhall importune, . How it goes with us; and do look to know What doth befal you here. So, fare you well: To the hopeful execution do I leave you Of your commiffions. Ang. Yet, give leave, my lord, That we may bring you fomething on the way'. Nor need you, on mine honour, have to do As to your foul feems good. Give me your hand; But do not like to ftage me to their eyes; nefs! Duke. I thank you: Fare you well. [Exit. No emendation is neceffary. Leaven'd choice is one of Shakfpeare's harsh metaphors. His train of ideas feems to be this. I have proceeded to you with choice mature, concocted, fermented, leavened. When bread is leavened it is left to ferment: a leavened choice is therefore a choice not hafty, but confiderate, not declared as foon as it fell into the imagination, but fuffered to work long in the mind. Thus explained, it fuits better with prepared than levelled. JOHNSON. bring you fomething on the way] i. e accompany you. So in A woman kill'd with kindness, by Heywood, 1617, "the "went very lovingly to bring him on his way to horfe." And the fame mode of expreffion is to be found in almost every writer of the times. EDITOR. 2 your fcope is as mine own.] That is, Your amplitude of power. JOHNSON. Efcal. Efcal. I fhall defire you, fir, to give me leave To have free speech with you; and it concerns me To look into the bottom of my place : A power I have; but of what ftrength and nature I am not yet instructed. Ang. "Tis fo with me:-Let us withdraw to gether, And we may foon our fatisfaction have Touching that point. Efcal. I'll wait upon your honour. SCENE II. The Street. Enter Lucio, and two Gentlemen. [Exeunt. Lucio, If the duke, with the other dukes, come not to compofition with the king of Hungary, why, then all the dukes fall upon the king. 1 Gent. Heaven grant us its peace, but not the king of Hungary's! 2. Gent. Amen. Lucio. Thou conclud'ft like the fanctimonious pirate, that went to fea with the ten commandments, but fcrap'd one out of the table. 2 Gent. Thou shalt not steal? Lucio. Ay, that he raz'd. 1 Gent. Why, 'twas a commandment to command the captain and all the reft from their functions; they put forth to steal: There's not a foldier of us all, that, in the thanksgiving before meat, doth relish the petition well that prays for peace. 2 Gent. I never heard any foldier diflike it. Lucio. I believe thee; for, I think, thou never waft where grace was faid. 2 Gent, No? a dozen times at least. 1 Gent. |